With the Los Angeles Lakers patiently waiting for Kawhi Leonard, they also had to be aware of the Anthony Davis trade with the New Orleans Pelicans on July 6.
If Leonard did not make his decision by July 6 at noon, the Lakers may have had to delay the Davis trade in order to maintain their near max-contract slot for him.
However, six days into 2019 NBA free agency, Leonard reportedly signed a four-year, $142 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers over them and the Toronto Raptors.
While this was surprising, the Clippers reportedly have traded for Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder now, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Oklahoma City is trading All-Star Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for a record-setting collection of draft choices, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
After George re-signed with the Thunder last offseason, they have received numerous draft picks for the 29-year-old:
The Clippers are sending the Thunder four unprotected first-round picks, one protected first-round pick and two pick swaps, league sources tell ESPN. Those picks go to OKC with Gallinari and SGA.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
With the Clippers having two max-contract slots, it appeared their chances of signing Leonard were slim after other All-Star players signed elsewhere. However, they were able to find a way to get their second All-Star player via trade.
While the Lakers made the right decision by waiting for Leonard, they did lose out on some of their other targets. Despite the wait, the Lakers still have options and will likely break up their $32.1 million in cap space for depth.
Along with the possibility of re-signing some of their current players, DeMarcus Cousins, Danny Green, and Marcus Morris are a few names that are still available in the market.